Wheel that flew off car, killing man, has many bewildered

Published: Tuesday, March 4, 2014 at 6:13 p.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, March 4, 2014 at 6:13 p.m.

The doors were shut and the lights were off at the Absolute Auto Body shop in Williston Tuesday, but employees and friends were inside, in the dark.

They were trying to make sense of something that made no sense at all — a wheel went flying off a car, jumped a fence and hit garage owner James E. Fender, 45, and killed his friend, Ivan Sandquist, 33.

“It’s kind of a bizarre, freak accident. We’re in awe. We have no thought process. I don’t know. We have the doors shut just trying to process everything,” said a friend who was at the shop but did not want his name used. “The car passed our building, lost a tire. It just so happened the guy who owns the shop was out there with a buddy talking to him. And that’s where the tire went.”

Williston Police Chief Dennis Strow said the incident is being investigated, adding that he asked for help from the Florida Highway Patrol. An FHP homicide investigator will assist in trying to figure out what happened.

The primary question: Why did the wheel come off the 1999 Toyota?

“We are going to look at everything — was it a mechanical problem? Was speed a factor? We’re going to look at whether the lugs were loose,” Strow said. “We’ve asked for help from FHP because they have so much experience in these kinds of things.”

The mishap happened about 9 a.m. in front of the auto body shop at 104 NW 10th Ave.

Patrick Woodard, who has a Gainesville address but repairs cars at an auto shop in the Raleigh area of Levy County, was driving north on U.S. 41 when the wheel came off, Strow said. Woodard’s speed has not been determined.

The car had been taken to Woodard to be checked out, Strow said, adding that Woodard had not done anything to the car — including the wheel — prior to taking it for a test drive.

Strow said the wheel came off near Absolute Auto and went toward the business. It appears that when the wheel hit the inclined driveway, it sprang over a 6-foot-tall chain link fence where Fender was talking with Sandquist.

The wheel hit Sandquist, killing him instantly. It then hit Fender, who was airlifted to UF Health Shands Hospital in Gainesville.

“James said he remembers looking over and seeing the car and that it had no tire, and the next thing he knows, he’s covered in blood,” said the friend. “He’s got a pretty good road to recovery for sure. He’s scheduled for a couple of surgeries.”

Strow said the tire did not explode and was intact on the wheel.

Sandquist’s father, Warren, is a longtime city of Williston employee.

Strow said much of Williston was feeling the loss Tuesday.

“Anytime you have something like this happen to someone so young, it’s difficult,” Strow said. “I’ve heard of tires coming off before, but this is just a tragedy.”

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